I stare at my reflection in the mirror and smile.
I haven't looked this good in months. It's because I haven't gone out in so long. I'm wearing one of the few dresses I brought with me. I haven't worn it since I got here. It's a simple little black dress. It's my favorite dress that I own. It has thin straps and it goes down mid-thigh and has tiny sparkles all over it. I shaved my legs and painted my toenails black. I'm even wearing black heels. My dark brown hair is straight down my back and I have mascara and some nude lipstick on.
I feel like myself again.
This is completely, one hundred percent, crazy.
Before I have time to talk myself out of this, there is a knock on the door. I take a deep breath then reach for my keys and phone. Derek Collins is standing outside in all his glory wearing jeans with a navy blue cotton shirt and a black blazer. He looks casual and anything but at the same time. He's texting when I walk out and I roll my eyes as I turn to lock the door.
We haven't even left yet and he's already doing the one thing that upsets me the most. You know what? I hope he makes me hate tonight. I hope this "date" or whatever it is, is a horrible one. I hope I end up disliking him even more so that I'm left with zero desire to go out with him again.
I hope Derek Collins gives me the worst date of my life.
"Ready?" he asks and I turn around to tell him that yes, I am ready but I watch as his eyes roam down my body. Derek Collins is checking me out and he's not being subtle about it. He raises his eyebrows as his eyes meet mine. "Wow, Gin, you clean up really good."
"You need to work on your compliments," I say to him then begin walking towards the stairs, my heels echo behind me.
"Okay," he says as he follows me. "How about, you look stunning?"
I fight back a smile. "That's better."
"Well," he says after we walk down the stairs. I see his car parked by the curb and we make our way towards me. "You look stunning, Gin."
I keep looking straight ahead as we walk down the stairs and smile. "Thank you."
"Where are we going?" I ask once we're inside his car.
"We're going to dinner," he says as he puts on his seatbelt. "Hope you're hungry."
"I can be hungry if I need to." I tell him.
He chuckles as he looks at me. "Put your seatbelt on."
"Okay," I say as I reach for it and pull it across my chest. "But only because I was going to anyway."
"Right," he says, turning on the car. "God forbid you do anything because I asked you to."
"Exactly." I smile, looking out the window.
"Maybe we can go clubbing after dinner?" he suggests as he drives. "You ever been?"
"Yes," I say. "Not here in New York but I have my moves."
He glances at me as he keeps his hand on the steering wheel. "Where are you from, Gin?"
"I was born in Portland but I've lived in Newport since I was in high school."
He raises his eyebrows. "Oregon, really?"
I turn to look at him and admire his handsome face. He's even more attractive when he's not being obnoxious. "Yes, why the tone of surprise?"
"I have family in Oregon."
"Really?" I ask, it's my turn to raise my eyebrows in surprise.
"Yes," he says nodding.
"I thought your family lived here in New York."
He turns to grin at me then looks straight ahed again. "And how did you know that?"
I roll my eyes at him. "It's so easy to find information on people," I say the exact same words he told me last night.
He laughs. "Okay. Fair enough." he makes a right turn onto Times Square and I look at all the lights around us. I love them. I love how they illuminate the night. It looks so pretty.
"My family does live here," Derek says. "But my dad's side of the family lives in Oregon. Nobody really knows about them because they're not like us at all. They're normal, like you."
I raise my eyebrows. "You think I'm normal?"
"You're right." he teases. "You're not."
I laugh then nod slowly. "That's pretty cool. What a coincidence."
"I know." he takes a deep breath. "I haven't visited them in a while now though I've been meaning to. My schedule is crazy most of the time and when it's not, I'm too busy chasing after my match on some dating app." he winks at me making me smile.
I look away, trying to hide my face. I'm pretty sure I'm blushing. My cheeks feel hot. Jeez, Savannah. Get a grip, girl. I need to be immune to his charms. I have to if I want to survive.
Derek drives us to a very nice restaurant that I would never even dream of coming to. It's so elegant. The carpet is red, reminding me of the red carpet on award shows. How fitting. The chairs and tables and silverware and everything else looks so expensive and old-fashioned at the same time. It's a two-story restaurant and the hostess leads us up the stairs as she tries to keep her cool. Her eyes widened when she saw Derek walk in.
I look around as I follow Derek. The people here are all dressed in suits and the women in fancy dresses. I suddenly feel underdressed with my little black dress. Some of them notice Derek and I catch a few women trying to take a picture of us as we walk. I don't think I can eat with everyone watching us.
For the first time, I wonder what it's like to be Derek. I imagine having people watching me and taking pictures of me every where I go. I imagine what it's like to chased down the street by a group of fangirls or being crowded by reporters at the airport while being asked all of these questions.
It can't be easy.
He must really love it or he's really good at hiding it. Even if he loves it though, there has to be times when he must feel overwhelmed or just tired. It has to be hard to not have any privacy.
The hostess leads us to the empty side of the second floor. Our table is around empty tables and I almost sigh in relief. The closest people are a couple of feet away and I purposefully sit with my back to them.
"This is...a lot," I say slowly after the hostess leaves. I look at the candle in the middle of the table. It's pretty.
"Don't you work in a restaurant like this one?"
"Uh, it's not this extravagant." I shrug. "Plus it's different being in the kitchen versus in the actual dinning room."
He sets his phone down on the table and looks at me thoughtfully. "So, you always wanted to be a chef?"
"No," I say with a soft laugh. "I barely discovered it less than a year ago."
"Are you any good?" he asks, teasingly.
"You bet your ass I am."
He chuckles. "I don't know, Gin, I'd have to judge for myself."
"Well, lucky for me, I don't need your approval." I tell him making him laugh.
The waiter, a tall guy, arrives then and Derek and I order.
"So what does a day in the life of Derek Collins look like?" I ask after.
"It's different every day," he says. "It all depends what's on the agenda. I'm in between projects right now so it's sort of a break. It'll be over next week when I go back to filming."
"That sounds exciting." I admit.
He raises an eyebrow at me. "You've spent all this time hating on my career and now it's exciting?"
"I don't hate your career." I tell him. "I hate the way you think everyone should fall on their knees whenever you walk in the room."
"I don't think that."
I look at him. "Don't deny it. Or are you so used to it that you don't notice how obnoxious you are anymore?"
He reaches for his water and takes a sip. "Is it so wrong to like the attention?"
"Maybe not but it's wrong to belittle people just because you're a celebrity."
His blue eyes meet mine. "Why do you take it so personal?"
"I grew up watching my parents struggle through jobs. None of them went to college. My dad didn't even finish high school. They've worked most of their lives." I turn my head and see the waiters as they bring food to the customers while another one takes their order, all with smiles on their faces. "I see the waitress or a maid or a service worker in the street and I see my parents. Hell, I see myself." I look at Derek and his face his blank, not revealing anything. I shrug. "We're all just trying our best, Derek. Take the bartender, for example, on the night we met. He was just trying to follow the rules. He was just doing his job. Yet, you had to be the exception to the rules just because you're famous. Not everyone has the privilege that you've had since you were born."
He gulps then nods slowly. "You're right. I did grow up in a privileged house."
"You can be privileged and not be an asshole." I smile, trying to lighten the mood. He has a deep frown on his forehead and he looks thoughtful as he takes a sip of his water.
Then he looks at me from under his lashes. A smile plays on his lips. "You're something else, Gin."
I roll my eyes at him. "Just try to be less of an asshole, please."
"Okay," he says. "Just for you."
I shake my head with a smile.
The food arrives shortly after and he tells me about what filming is like. I can tell how much he loves it by the look in his eyes. Like I said, it's easy to like him when he's not being obnoxious.
For a moment, it's just like being on a date with a normal guy. Until someone approaches us and asks Derek for a picture. It's a woman. She seems to be around my age and she's with a friend.
We're done with dinner by then and Derek stands up to take a picture with each of them. I stand up and watch as he smiles at the camera. He looks so good. God. Why does he have to be so handsome?
The women glance at me before they walk away, probably wondering who I am since my face is not recognizable. I'm a nobody having dinner with one of the hottest celebrities right now. How the hell did this happen?
"Do I get a picture too?" I tease Derek as we wait for the waiter to come back with his credit card.
He grins at me. "You can have all the pictures you want, Gin. I'll even sign your arm if you want me to."
I roll my eyes with a smile. "You know, that's not such a bad idea. I'm gonna have you sign random things so I can sell them on eBay."
He chuckles. "You wouldn't be the first."
"Or the last." I joke.
The waiter comes back then with Derek's credit card and I watch as Derek signs the receipt. "Thank you," he says to the waiter but he's looking right at me.
I raise an eyebrow at him in shock after the guy walks away. "Wow."
"How did I do?" Derek asks, his eyes amused.
"It's definitely an improvement. You might not be a lost cause."
He laughs then he reaches for my hand. "Come on, Gin. Let's go dance."
I know I shouldn't but I like that he holds my hand as he leads us out of the restaurant. I like the way everyone looks at us. So this is how Derek must feel all the time, huh? Okay. I'll give it to him. I can see why he likes it because I really like being seen with him right now.
This was supposed to be the worst date of my life and so far, it's been anything but. It's going to be hard to resist him after this.
I might be in trouble.